UK Men’s Sheds Association

SHOULDER to SHOULDER Newsletter 041 | July 2018

UK Men’s Sheds Association 1

Welcome to Charlie Bethel,

UKMSA’s new Chief Officer

Charlie comes to UKMSA with a wealth

of experience from the third sector

including over 20 years working in

Paralympic Sport. He is a member of

the Executive Committee of the

International Wheelchair Basketball

Federation where he has a portfolio

that includes the Summer Paralympic

Games and Commonwealth Games.

Charlie is the former Chief Executive

of British Wheelchair Basketball where

he led the sport through tremendous

growth in both participation and the

structure of the organisation.

On joining us Charlie said, “I’m

tremendously excited about the

opportunity of working with the

Trustees and everyone involved in

Men’s Sheds across the UK.

UK Men’s Sheds Association offers life

transforming opportunities and I am

proud to be part of this movement.

UKMSA has incredible potential at a

local and national level and I want

to see every Shed realise its potential.

We should provide the services and

every opportunity to those who

attend Sheds.”

Nathan Sarea, Chairman of UKMSA

welcomed Charlie saying, “We are very

pleased to welcome Charlie to our

ranks and are very excited about

taking Men’s Sheds to a new level. We

are committed to provided a fantastic

service to our members and

developing more opportunities and

more Sheds across the country.”

UK Men’s Sheds Association 2

UKMSA Board

of Trustees Over the next few months are continuing to profile different

UKMSA Trustees. Last month we met Chris Lee. This month we

hear from Nathan Sarea, Chair of the Board.

Hello everyone,

I have stepped in as Chair of UKMSA at what I

feel is a very exciting point in the journey of

the Men’s Sheds movement.

For those of you who don’t know me I am

passionate about all things Shed - by day

being the Project Director for a busy Shed in

the heart of North Wales – and the original

creator of Shed-Fest.

As everyone is aware, there has been an

undeniably long period of introspection for

all the team here at the UKMSA, but now that

tide is finally turning and the focus for the

rest of this year will be all about our Sheds

and the people that lead them.

A key pillar to delivering on that has been the

recruitment of our new Chief Officer, Charlie

Bethel, who I am truly pleased to welcome to

the UKMSA team. Charlie brings a swathe of

skills and experience to the Chief Officer role

– and has definitely hit the ground running –

having already written up a long list of things

he is looking to achieve.

High on my own list of priorities is to help

form the first National

Sheds Council this year,

which will finally give a

voice to the UK Sheds

and be the central forum

for sharing ideas,

innovation and best

practice for sustaining

a Shed.

If this is something you

are interested in then

please do get in touch –

because it won’t happen

without you!

Along with this and with your input we will be

developing and delivering a UK-wide Shed

Leaders Support programme – and working

to roll out an enhanced national training

provision to support the needs of our

existing Sheds.

This is going to form a big part of the job for

our new National Sheds Development

Manager – a role which we are currently

advertising.

The other element of this role will be

continuing to support the growth of our

network of Shed Ambassadors – assisting

them and other Shedders to organise and

run your own regional Shed-Fests.

I hope that my time as Chair will see a

greater focus on meeting the needs of the

Sheds, as we move forward. Myself and the

team are looking forward to getting out and

visiting a lot more of you in the coming

months.

Watch this space – as we are already looking

for venues for the 2018 National Conference

and will be making every

effort to bring greater

transparency in what

UKMSA are doing as a

Board and as an

organisation.

Keep up the great work you are already doing, out there – and in closing all I’d like to say is best wishes and ‘Long live the Shed!’

NEW SHEDS ON THE BLOCK

www.findashed.org.uk

Make sure you’re on the map and

your contact details are up to date so

people can find you to join your Shed

or give support.

The Find-a-Shed tool on our website

is the most popular page and

requests to add Sheds to the map is

one of the most common we receive.

The map is a great way to get your

Shed noticed, to get new members

and attract support from individuals,

companies and organisations in the

community. It is also a vital tool for

men across the UK to easily find and

join their local Shed.

UK Men’s Sheds Association 3

We’re wishing the following Sheds

the best of luck in their

development:

Cheltenham & Gloucester’s second

Shed

Tynedale Men’s Shed

Paisley Men’s Shed

The Sawdust Lads (Harrogate)

Saffron Walden Community Shed

and welcoming the following Sheds,

now open on the map:

Midsomer Norton Men’s Shed

Broadland’s Men’s Shed

Thank you to Margaret Walker

and Claire Shelton This last month we have said a fond farewell to

both Margaret Walker, our Chair of the Board and Claire Shelton, our Volunteer Ambassador

Programme Manager.

The organisation has positively moved forward thanks to Margaret’s leadership and Claire’s hard work and enthusiasm. We truly thank them both and wish them every success in the future.

Interested in starting a Men’s Shed?

UKMSA have had contact from people in these areas this month about starting a Shed. If you’re interested, contact Laura to be connected.

Alloway

Blackpool

Dalston, London

Grange over Sands

Hythe and New Milton

Henlow

Leicester

Atherstone

Lincoln

TV Correspondents Lena Sherman & Bengt Norborg from SVT, the Swedish national public TV broadcaster read the recent “Compassionate Communities” article about Frome in the Guardian, and visited the town in April 2018. They came to the Frome Shed to film, and we gave the details of all the Men’s Sheds we knew about in Denmark & Sweden. We also

recorded an interview with them for the Frome Shed Frome FM radio show “Shed Happens.”

In the May “Shed Happens” we had a theme of Sweden running through the show, and we did a telephone interview with the Shed in Malmo – speaking with Will English and Sean Furlong.

This theme of Sweden was also a tribute to a young man, the Swedish DJ Avicii, one of the world's biggest electronic dance music stars, who died

at the ridiculous age of 28 in April this year. Whatever the cause of his death, he died too young and way too early. We explained that if you are a man in this country the most likely thing to kill you before the age of 50 isn’t a heart attack, or a car crash, or cancer, or terrorism. It’s yourself. It’s suicide.

People often blame the problem of male suicide on men not talking. But research suggests that men are more likely to seek help with a problem when it is socially acceptable to do so. This

means that the more people talk about helping suicidal men to get help, the more socially acceptable it becomes and the more likely men are to get help. So let’s talk about suicide, you might just save someone’s life! The Australians have a programme called RU OK ? – Have a look at RU OK online – it’s a great step forward.

When Lena & Bengt got back to Sweden they contacted the Shed in Malmo, and invited Sen Furlong to take part in a

SVT TV Show – Aktuellt, where he has able to talk about the health and wellbeing benefits of the Shed in Malmo.

A great result for both Sheds! You can watch the video here (It’s in English after the intro).

4 UK Men’s Sheds Association

Frome Men’s Shed have built new links with the Swedish Shed Movement and been

visited by Swedish national public TV broadcaster, SVT. Frome Shedder Patrick Abrahams

shares his recollections of their visit, and how it came about.

Frome Men’s Shed goes international

Look out next month for more on the benefits of joining a Shed...

In August’s Shoulder to Shoulder we will be looking at Sheds ‘on prescription’ and see how

Sheds are having a positive impact on Shedders lives. If you would like to share your story

of how your local Shed has benefitted you, please contact Laura.

Sean Furlong being interviewed on SVT News(Frome Shed film running in background)

Lena Sherman (SVT) interviewing Tony Hopkins in the Frome Shed

Frome Men’s Shed

In Kind Direct was founded by HRH Prince of Wales in 1996 to help

ensure that everyone has access to life's essentials and that no

usable product goes to waste. The charity works with over 1,000

manufacturers and retailers to ensure new and usable surplus products go to good

causes up and down the country, instead of ending up in landfill or incineration. Over

9,000 non-profit organisations now benefit from their

service, saving up to £6,000 a year on the everyday

essentials they need to maintain and strengthen their

services.

Many companies donate to In Kind Direct, meaning

they’re able to offer a huge range of goods. You can find

everything from toiletries, toys, cleaning products, sports

equipment, IT equipment and lots more on their online

catalogue. Once a non-profit has joined In Kind Direct’s

network, they can order goods to:

Give to people you support free of charge

Run your projects and activities

Clean and maintain your facilities

Measuring impact

In Kind Direct track every product they receive and

distribute to other charities, so they can report back to

donors on where it ends up and how it is used. Over

the last 22 years, they've seen demand for their service

increase month on month, with an average of 100 new

charities signing up to their service. Watch their video

to see the impact their service has on charities and

their beneficiaries across the country.

What does it cost?

Registration is free. You pay a small charge for the provision of goods (approximately

80% discount from what you’d pay in shops), which contributes to their running costs

and includes delivery of goods.

For more information about In Kind Direct, visit www.inkinddirect.org.

Are there any goods your Shed needs? If you have any questions, please contact

Jessica Richards on 0300 30 20 200 or jessica@inkinddirect.org

UK Men’s Sheds Association 5

In Kind Direct

UK Men’s Sheds Association 6

Symptoms

Many men with prostate cancer have no symptoms at all.

When symptoms do occur, they can be similar to non-

cancerous prostate problems such as an enlarged prostate

(also called benign prostatic hyperplasia or enlargement).

Symptoms to look out for include:

Needing to urinate more often, especially at night – for

example if you often need to go again after two hours

Difficulty starting to pass urine

Straining or taking a long time to finish urinating

A weak flow of urine

A feeling that your bladder has not emptied properly

Needing to rush to the toilet – you may occasionally leak

urine before you get there

Dribbling urine

Getting up in the night more often

Less common symptoms of a prostate problem include:

Pain when passing urine

Pain when ejaculating

Problems getting or keeping an erection – this is not a common symptom of a prostate problem and is

more often caused by other health conditions

Blood in the urine or semen

All of these can be due to non cancerous conditions but if you have any of the symptoms above don’t

ignore them and have a chat with your GP who can investigate further.

Anyone with concerns about prostate cancer may contact Prostate Cancer UK's Specialist Nurses in

confidence on 0800 074 8383 or online via the Live Chat instant messaging service: prostatecanceruk.org

UK Men’s Sheds Association 6

Prostate Cancer UK is a registered charity in

England and Wales (1005541) and in Scotland

WHAT DO YOU KNOW

ABOUT PROSTATE CANCER?

What is the prostate?

Only men have a prostate gland.

It is about the size of a walnut and may get larger as men get older.

Its main function is to help make semen.

The prostate is underneath the bladder and surrounds the urethra (the tube that men pass urine through).

Risk

Only men can get prostate cancer and the risk factors associated with it are:

Age - Men over the age of 50 are at higher risk of developing prostate cancer.

Family - you are 2.5 times more likely to develop prostate cancer if your father or brother has had it.

Ethnicity - Black men are more likely to get prostate cancer than men of other ethnic backgrounds. In the UK, about 1 in 4 Black men will get prostate cancer at some point in their lives. The reasons for this are not yet clear but might be linked to genetics.

Body weight - Research shows that being overweight or obese increases your risk of getting cancer that’s more likely to spread (called aggressive) or advanced prostate cancer (cancer that has spread outside the prostate).

Anyone with concerns about their risk of prostate cancer should discuss them with their GP.

FUNDING ROUND-UP The latest grant or funding stream that may help your Shed.

Relying entirely on grant funding is rarely the best approach to sustain-

ing your Shed, but sometimes it can serve as a little boost. You might

have your eye on tools, need to add a toilet or want to hold an event to

attract members. We take a look at the latest fund that you may just be

eligible for.

Apply for a Bags of Help grant

UK Men’s Sheds Association 7

Next month we’ll have more information about UK Community Foundations, follow the link if you

want more information now.

Bags of Help is Tesco’s local community grant scheme where money raised by the carrier bag charge in Tesco stores is being used to fund thousands of community projects across England, Scot-land and Wales. The projects must meet the criteria of bringing benefits to the community. Bags of Help is administered by Groundwork who are working with greenspace scotland to support successful projects in Scotland.

How does Bags of Help work?

Bags of Help is always open for applications from both charities and community organisations.

Applications are assessed by Groundwork to ensure they are eligible. In areas where application numbers are high, Tesco colleagues will shortlist the projects to determine which go forward to the customer vote.

Three community projects in each local area will be voted on by customers in Tesco stores

throughout the UK, with projects changing every other month. Following the vote, the project that

received the most votes in its area will receive a grant of up to £4,000, second place receiving up to

£2,000 and third place up to £1,000.

What types of projects will Bags of Help fund?

The types of projects funded are very broad and will cover direct costs needed to fund a project.

Bags of Help can fund 100% of your project costs so there’s no need to secure match funding. Any funding awarded by Bags of Help can also form part of your wider project costs.

Your project can be a stand-alone project or as a self-contained part of a larger scheme or part of a phased project. You will need to complete your project within 12 months of receipt of the grant. For any projects making a physical improvement to an outdoor space, you will need to evidence the relevant permissions. For more details about the scheme follow this link—https://bit.ly/2tCw6Y6

DON’T FORGET TO HELP WAITROSE HELP SHEDS!

You can still help support Men’s Sheds, by shopping online at

Waitrose and voting for UKMSA.

Please encourage, friends, family

and neighbours to do so as well, and talk to your nearest

Waitrose store about local publicity. Don’t forget to promote

us on social media too!

Shedder joins record breaking attempt On 9th June, 2018, Tony Upton, a Shedder

from Men in Sheds Bedford joined an attempt

to break a Guinness World Record, along with

126 other survivors of Cardiac Arrests.

Survivors aged 11 to 80, and their families

attended the record breaking event, which was

organised by Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK in

conjunction with The Essex Cardiothoracic

Centre and SADS UK.

Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone

regardless of age, fitness or general health. It

is not the same as a heart attack. A cardiac

arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops

pumping blood around the body. The person

will suddenly lose consciousness and stop

breathing or stop breathing normally. It needs

immediate treatment with Cardio Pulmonary

Resuscitation (CPR) or the person will die

within minutes. A heart attack is sudden

interruption to the blood supply to part of the

heart muscle, causing chest pain and

permanent damage to the heart. But the

person remains conscious and breathing.

Tony shared the memory of his own cardiac

arrest - “When I was 51 I had a heart attack on

4 April 2015 and, on my way to Papworth, in

the ambulance suffered a cardiac arrest. My

heart stopped for 3 minutes, and I was

defibrillated in the ambulance.

One paramedic commented that the last time

she had someone come back was 19 years ago

and the other said he’d not yet seen anyone

come back from a Cardiac Arrest.”

Tony has since organised a HEARTSTART

session run by the BHF for members at the

Bedford Shed, which he suggests all groups do.

SADS UK have launched a petition to

encourage the use of signs and digital displays

to direct people to nearby defibrillators, saving

precious minutes that could, in turn, save lives.

The Guinness World Record attempt was

organised to help raise awareness about the

petition and you can click here to sign

the petition.

UK Men’s Sheds Association 8

Dalbeattie Men’s Shed had a surprise guest Shedder last month - Sir Billy Connolly visited Dalbeattie Shedders with a film crew to spend the day in the Shed as part of his newest TV series touring around Scotland.

Secretary Geoff Allison said: “He was fantastic. He seemed to be genuinely interested in the Shed and nothing was too much trouble. There were a few flashes of humour, he was happy to pose for selfies and he stayed for a few hours.” Shedders were sworn to secrecy about Sir Billy’s visit, only being told the day before he stopped by.

A surprise guest for Dalbeattie Men’s Shed

July 2018 | N. 041

admin@ukmsa.org.uk | 0300 772 9626 | www.menssheds.org.uk

@UKMensSheds | UK Men’s Sheds Association | ukmenssheds

UK Men’s Sheds Association 9

The Blaydon Shed in Gateshead are thrilled to announce a new

scheme—Clean Start—and they need help from other Sheds to

develop it.

All around the UK men are in need of basic toiletries due to either

being homeless or having had to flee violent and abusive situations.

Many of these men arrive in different towns not knowing anyone or

having anything other than the clothes on their back. There are

currently many schemes to provide women with basic toiletries, but

none for men.

The Blaydon Shed are launching a nationwide scheme in conjunction with other Men's

Sheds around the UK to act as both a drop-off point for donations of toiletries and basic

hygiene products for men and as a collection point for these products for men in need.

Blaydon Shedders are appealing to people in Gateshead for any donations of the

following items:

- face cloths/small hand towels - combs

- deodorant - shampoo

- shaving foam - soap

- toothbrushes & toothpaste - disposable razors

- nail clippers/beard trimmers - mouthwash

- wet wipes - socks/underwear

- shower gel

If you can donate any of these items to the Clean Start scheme, they would be very grateful

and you can take them to the Blaydon Shed (St Cuthbert's Community Hall (Basement

rooms), Shibdon Road, Blaydon On Tyne, NE21 5PT) on a Tuesday or Friday between 11am

and 4pm.

Please share this appeal with others and think about setting up a Clean Start scheme with

your local Shed – every item donated will help a man in need.

If anyone is interested in becoming a collection point for donations, getting involved, or

setting up their own scheme, please email Fiona Teasdale on infoblaydonshed@gmail.com

Join Blaydon Shed in a new project

supporting men in the UK